Song of the Year 2009: “Nobody” by The Wonder Girls

singing and dancing to Korean pop with Renzie Baluyut.

It’s undeniable.  “Nobody” by The Wonder Girls is everywhere.

See, it’s Christmas party season in the Philippines, and it’s customary for offices and schools and groups of friends everywhere to have real festive Christmas parties, involving lots of food, gift-giving, as well as singing and dancing.

And where singing and dancing is involved, chances are, you’ll have group presentations.  And when that happens, chances are, there’s going to be at least one group dancing to The Wonder Girls’ monster pop/dance hit, “Nobody”.

In case you’ve been living in a rock all these months,  The Wonder Girls are an all-chick pop group straight out of South Korea.  These ladies have been building up a following of some very passionate fans since they were formed in 2007.  They’ve come up with several hits already, as Korean pop enthusiasts would tell you– among others- “Tell Me”, “So Hot”, “Irony”, “Take It”, and of course, the song that made them such a mainstream sensation in the Philippines, “Nobody”.

“Nobody” is also a global phenomenon.  As I was putting this blog post together,  I was doing a search of videos on YouTube.  There are just *so many* fans of The Wonder Girls online, it’s just unbelievable.  How global is global?  Check out all the fans compiled on this nice little collage they put together:

The Philippines alone has all sorts of fans.  And why not?  They’re cute, they got an incredibly infectious pop sound going on, and they got some pretty interesting videos.  Just this weekend, I’ve been to at least four different Christmas gatherings, and if it’s not a Christmas party dance presentation, there’s a band going on, or a DJ playing some Wonder Girls music!

Heck, you even got American Idol Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks into the whole Wonder Girls craze.

Do you think it’d be an awesome idea to bring in the five lovely ladies from The Wonder Girls to perform live for their Filipino fans?  I’m sure there are lots out there.  And I’m fairly certain they’d want to catch them perform “Nobody” live on stage.  After all, our group (IMG Live!) is bringing in 20 international artists to perform for their Filipino fans on February 2010.  So why not The Wonder Girls?  Just a thought, really.

Hey, lots of stuff from The Wonder Girls are right up on their very own active YouTube channel.  You can also find them on MySpace, and on various fan sites all over the web dedicated to all things Wonder Girls.  Pictures, btw, are courtesy of Wikipedia.

Cheers, everyone!

20 International Artists To Perform Live in Manila

it’s gonna be a music festival like no other with IMG Live! and Renzie Baluyut.

I suppose the time for secrecy is over.

See, for the past several months, I’ve been involved in a rather massive project that involved a whole lot of planning, phonecalls at 3 in the morning, pulling some strings and essentially laying down all the groundwork for one truly awesome undertaking.

I am part of a concert production & promotions crew known as IMG Live! All you have to know about IMG Live! is that we’re here to give you- all our fellow music fans right here in the Philippines- the world-class live music outdoor production you all deserve to see.

Check this out: We’re flying in twenty (yes you read it right!) international recording artists- all who had hits in the late 80’s, 90’s and this decade- each and every one performing only their hits, onstage, live- for all their Pinoy fans to come see, for one out-of-this-world evening.

Sounds unbelievable, yeah?  I know.  I felt the same way myself.  Right until we were talking to the artists and managers themselves.  And man, lemme tell you- they’re all looking forward to coming over to the Philippines.

Who do we have flying in?

• Tracy Chapman.  She’s won Grammies and all kinds of special honors, and is one of those artists that made it cool to be socially aware.  Best known for her hits “Give Me One Reason”, “Baby Can I Hold You”, “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” and “Fast Car”.

• Frankie J.  Accomplished R&B singer-songwriter-producer Frankie J is made famous by his songs “Don’t Wanna Try”, “Obsession (No Es Amor)”, “How To Deal”, “Suga Suga” (with Baby Bash), and his own cover of “More Than Words”

• P.M. Dawn.  Remember “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” and “Lookin’ Through Patient Eyes”?  It was the awesome stylings of PM Dawn that made those hits possible.  Other hits from this pop/rap duo: “I’d Die Without You”, “Paper Doll”, “Downtown Venus”, “I Had No Right” and “Gotta Be (Movin’ On Up)”.

• Exposé.  The all-girl trio known as Exposé were tearing up the charts not only with dance hits “Come Go With Me”, “Point of No Return”, “What You Don’t Know” and “Let Me Be The One”, but also with more mellow and laid-back tunes such as “Seasons Change”, “When I Looked at Him”, “As Long As I Can Dream”, “I’ll Say Goodbye For The Two of Us” and “I’ll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me”.

• Baby Bash.  Baby Bash frequently collaborates with, and writes for other artists, but also has several hit songs to his credit:  ”Cyclone” (featuring T-Pain) (2007), “That’s How I Go” (featuring Mario and Lil’ Jon) (2009) and “Suga Suga” (with Frankie J) (2003).

• Paula DeAnda.  R&B singer-songwriter Paula DeAnda broke into the music scene in 2006, already with four hits to her name: “Doing Too Much” (with Baby Bash), “When It Was Me”, “Easy” (with Lil Wayne or Bow Wow, depending on which version you got), and “Walk Away (Remember Me)” (with the D.E.Y.).

• TQ.  TQ may be considered the pioneer of “Thug R&B”,  His breakthrough single “Westside” was one of the biggest singles of 1999.

• Diana King.  Diana King is best known for her monster pop/dance hit “Shy Guy” (1995).  Other hits to her credit include her covers of “Ain’t Nobody” (1995) and “I Say a Little Prayer” (1997), as well as the pop hit “L-L-Lies” (1997).

• JoJo.  She’s cute as a button, and she’s had film projects (Aquamarine and RV, among others) on top of her hectic singing career.  Known for her hits “Baby It’s You”, “Leave (Get Out)”, “Too Little, Too Late” and “Beautful Girls Reply”.

Took that bit from a blog post I wrote a few weeks back.  There’s definitely more, and personally, I can’t wait to reveal who else is coming.  Looks like I’m gonna have to write another post about that soon.

So, keep your eyes peeled for our star-studded show: we call it the Then And Now Concert Series.  It happens on a Saturday, February 6, 2010, at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.  The dudes behind it are the dudes of IMG Live!, and this massive music mashup is a John Usi production.

At this point, it’s really more than a music festival than an actual concert.  It’s got twenty international acts, including JoJo, Diana King, TQ, Baby Bash, Paula DeAnda, P.M. Dawn, Exposé, Tracy Chapman, and so much more.

I’ll reveal more stuff about this huge-ass event as soon as details go public.

In the meantime, go fire up your hard disks, dig up the old classics, and re-learn all the lyrics in time for concert night on February 6.  I’ll be seeing you all at the concert!

Cheers, everyone!

Ten Tips For Those Grimacing in Gout

Share This Post: helping all our gout-struck friends out there with ten useful tips, with Renzie Baluyut.

Having gout is no laughing matter.  I have gout myself, which means an occasional flare-up every several months, if I’m careless.

For those of you who have no idea what gout is, it’s actually a form of arthritis, and it happens when you have particularly high levels of uric acid in your bloodstream.

Let’s put on our geek hat for now:  when this happens, crystals (made of either monosodium urate or uric acid) are deposited on or around the joint structure- specifically on the articular cartilage of the joints, but it also accumulates on tendons and surrounding tissue.

"The Gout" by James Gillray. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

When you have gout, you get these sharp, sudden and excruciatingly painful attacks of acute arthritis.  There’s also going to be swelling, redness, warmth and stiffness- typical inflammation symptoms, but a bitch nevertheless. Usually, this will happen on your big toe, but in some cases, it can happen on the ankle, the heel, instep, even the knee, wrist, elbows, fingers or spine.   Yikes!

So what do you do when you have gout?  You will want to accomplish three things, essentially:

• get some pain relief
• prevent the attacks from happening in the first place
• and reduce your uric acid levels.

For those of you who are suffering from the occasional bout of gout, just like me, here are ten tips to help you deal with your gout, so you can live your life a lot easier.

Ten Tips For Those Grimacing in Gout.

Gouty arthritis, while excruciatingly painful, is actually fairly easy to manage.  Your uric acid levels re pretty much the main thing to consider– and therefore monitor- when you have gout.  The main goal is to keep the uric acid levels manageable by eating the right foods, and by excreting it.

1.  You’ll never know when gout will strike, even with your best efforts to prevent it from ever happening.  Always keep a ready stock of pain-killers.  Personally, I have a stash of Advil (Ibuprofen) as well as Alleve or Flanax (Naproxen)– both being effective pain-killers for those with gout.  It’s best you consult with a physician, however.  So go get your painkillers after you’ve checked in with your doctor.

2.  A 2009 study has established that Vitamin C prevented outbreaks of gout. A daily Vitamin C intake of 1,500 milligrams or higher significantly reduces the risk of gout. So load up on citrus fruits and your supplements.

3.  A 2004 study also established that dairy products such as milk and cheese significantly reduced the chances of gout.  Me, I got lactose intolerance after not having had milk for so long, but you can build up your tolerance back up slowly, and I totally intend to do just that.

If you're lactose intolerant, it's a good idea to start off with yogurt until you can handle milk and other dairy products.

4.  Generally you have to reduce your intake of purine-rich foods, and these can be found in red meat and seafood. You’ll want to limit food high in protein such as meat, fish, poultry, or tofu to 8 ounces (226 grams) a day.   Avoid, or eat at your own risk:  sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, brains, or other offal meats, as well as sardines and anchovies, and certain seafood like shellfish and crustaceans.

5.  A study on soft drinks and fructose consumption shows that men who consume two or more sugary soft drinks a day have an 85% higher risk of gout compared with those who drink less than one a month.  The key ingredient to avoid here: high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  Remember you can also find HFCS in fruit preserves, jams, jelly, syrups and candy- so take it easy on these, and watch the labels.

6.  Consumption of beer is associated with a 49% increase in relative risk per daily 12 oz (354 ml) serving.  However, the consumption of spirits was associated with only a 15% increase in relative risk, and no association at all was found with consumption of wine.  So- go ahead with the wine, take it easy on the spirits, and avoid beer altogether.

When on night-outs with friends, watch what you drink. In my case, I gotta take it easy on the beer, but wine is alright.

7.  Tart cherry juice or tart cherry capsules are believed to help dissolve the needle-like crystals that deposit themselves between the joints and connective tissue.  Me, I like keeping a bottle of cherry juice in the fridge just in case I feel an attack coming up.

8.  More food to avoid:  asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, as well as dry beans like lentils and peas.

9.  Never underestimate the power of your 8 glasses of water a day.  You’ll want to drink lots of water to help dilute and assist the excretion of urates.

10.  Take it easy on the use of diuretics, including aspirin, tea and alcohol.  The goal is to keep yourself hydrated, so replenish your fluids with water as soon as you can.

So there you have it.  I hope this guide helps you out, as it is helping me.   If you have a tip that you think helps you when you have gout, I’d sure love to hear it, and others out there with gout will want to hear it too.

Some of the information on this post was from Wikipedia, as is the picture of “The Gout” by James Gillray.

Cheers, everyone!

Traveling On a Budget: Get Airfare For Less

notes on cost-friendly travel, with Renzie Baluyut.

Traveling is great.  In fact, almost everyone wants to go around the world, do some sightseeing, and soak up on some culture just by doing so.

Jetting all over the world, however, is a rather costly endeavor.  Most of us do have to worry about staying within a budget, or think about the upcoming credit card statement.

Here are a few tips on how to get your airfare for less:

- Timing is everything.  As a rule of thumb, try to get your tickets as early as you can- at least 22 days in advance.  Airline ticket prices typically go up 21 days, 14 days, 7 days and 3 days just before flying.

- The best fares are usually available on Wednesday between 12MN and 1AM.  Next to this, you can still find some pretty good deals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

-  Try to play around with your arrival and departure dates.  Shifting your itinerary around can make a significant difference in fares.

- Do some online research.  There are a number of websites you might want to visit just to do some shopping and to compare rates.  Fare differences might amount to the hundreds, so you may want to visit two or three sites just to be sure.

• Travelocity.com
• Cheapflights.com
• Expedia.com
• Hotwire.com
• Bestfares.com

- Before you finally make that purchase, head on over to the airlines’ official website.  There are usually deals and promotional rates not advertised on other sites.

Also check out this video on How To Get Cheap Airfare.

This video courtesy of HowCast.  Check out my Howcast profile and network with me, and learn a few new things while you’re at it.

You may also want to check out my other articles on Travel and Leisure.

Cheers, everyone!

Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

10 Things I’ve Missed About The Philippines

appreciating Metro Manila and the Philippines, with Renzie Baluyut.

It’s been more than a month since I flew in from Los Angeles, and if anything, my being away for an extended period of time has made me appreciate a lot things in the Philippines even more.

Sure I wrote about this last year, so I thought this time I’d be a lot more specific.  Without any further ado, here’s a list of ten things I’ve really missed about the Philippines.

1. Home Delivery. Being a work-at-home advocate, home delivery services are truly invaluable.

Sure you have Thai food and pizza places delivering at home in Los Angeles. But if you ask me, nothing beats Manila in terms of the variety of food you can readily summon with just an easy phone call.

One thing I really missed was KFC's hot n' krispy chicken, delivered right at home. You don't have hot n' krispy in L.A. No idea why that is so.

Whether it’s a bucket of KFC hot n’ krispy, a quarter pounder at 2:30am, or an entire tray of pasta, dimsum or beef stew, you can pretty much have anything you want delivered to your doorstep as long as you know who to call.

2. The Weather.  Maybe my tropical ass just isn’t suited to LA weather just yet. What I like about Philippine weather is that, all year round, the temperature only varies by a relatively few degrees Centigrade.

Me and mom, visiting relatives in Butuan City.

It gets uncomfortably cold in the US, even in L.A., and even more so in the northern states.  In the summer (right about now), you can literally feel the sun beat down on you.

Here, all you need are relatively light clothes.  Plus a raincoat and an umbrella for the rainy season, and then a light jacket when it starts getting chilly over the holiday season.

3. Cheap services. One thing I really appreciated about the Philippines (which I only realized when I was in Los Angeles), was that you get so much for your hard-earned cash (more so, if you’re earning in dollars).

Getting a haircut, or having your laundry done, going for a massage- just about any service you can imagine can be had for cheap. One of the advantages of being in a third-world country, you might say.

Me and my ornery feet, about to get a scrubdown in a spa in Las Pinas city.

4. Cabs. While I admire the Los Angeles public transport system, I’ve simply grown accustomed to just standing out by the sidewalk, and hailing a taxi cab to take you pretty much anywhere you wish to go.

Caveat: a significant number of taxi drivers can be annoying, but remember that two can play at that game. They’re likely to play fair if they don’t see you as easy pickings.

That being said, I find the average day-to-day cab-riding experience in Manila rather worry-free. Even better if you know how to navigate your way around the city, and are familiar with general traffic conditions.

You can find all kinds of great stuff at the Salcedo weekend market. That’s my Tita Lina, looking for some stuff to bring home to the UK.

5. Shopping. I gotta admit, our malls here are truly great. Personally, I miss going to Shangri-la, Rockwell Powerplant and Greenbelt. Those malls were so close to where I used to live, it was practically just like home.

Heading off to Greenhills, Tiendesitas or even Divisoria brings shopping to an entirely higher level, an all-new experience altogether. Just a little out of the way (depending on where you stay, of course), but if you have time (as well as cash) to spare, these three spots are definitely worth the trip.

Besides all those, there are all kinds of food bazaars over the weekend- like the Salcedo weekend market on Saturdays, or all kinds of tiangges when the Christmas season is upon us.

Fish- tilapia to be exact- roasting nicely on some hot coals.

6. Fish and Seafood. Being the tropical island paradise we are, we got access to a great deal of fish and seafood. Sure LA food is (by comparison) cheap and plentiful too, I think there’s a great deal of fun heading for the public market or a dampa and have your seafood of choice cooked however which way you want.

All kinds of seafood: crab, fish and some skewered squid in the background.

7. Pirated DVDs. While you can easily get any CD, DVD, book, computer game, T-shirt or whatever else you fancy in the US (and have ‘em conveniently shipped straight to your home), you just don’t have that in the Philippines.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t encourage buying pirated software or digital media at all. I always say, buy originals all the time, as a show of support for your favorites, so they can keep coming up wth all kinds of great stuff in the future.

Now if I wanted to get into a brand new TV series, or if I’m curious about a specific horror movie or romance comedy, I’d like to know if the purchase of the real deal is going to be worth my time and money. And, for me, the locally available DVDs should serve that purpose.

You’ll be amazed at the kind of stuff you’ll find with the local DVD vendors- new releases, TV series, anime series, even hard-to-find old titles, documentaries and classics.

Again, if you like what you watched, be a true fan and score yourself the real deal when you can.

The ampitheater at Kawayan Cove was simply awesome.

8. The destinations. In the course of my travels, I’ve realized that there are still so many places in the Philippines I haven’t even had the chance of checking out. And it’s definitely part of the plan to seek good vacation spots outside Metro Manila (particularly so that I have plans to getting more involved in the travel business).

There are a number of  things going on even within Metro Manila as well, and you can read that in this online article from The Sunday Inquirer Magazine.

Also, thanks to Facebook, Multiply and a whole variety of other social media, I can get real customer feedback (good or bad) about specific resorts, beaches, hotels or whatever destination in just about any province in the Philippines.

Always nice to go provincial once in a while. A shot of our nipa hut, just outside the main house in our farm in Zambales.

9. I love the nightlife. Maybe it’s just our neighborhood in the area of Eagle Rock and Glassell Park, or maybe I’m just getting too old for the party scene, but when you feel like going out to party in Metro Manila, there’s easily a party anywhere you go.

I’m thinking that it’s also quite possible that maybe it’s because I’m not as well-connected there in LA as I am here in Manila.

In any case, if you want to get in on what’s going on in Metro Manila at any given time, all you have to do is go online, or scout around the areas of Makati, The Fort, Eastwood City and Ortigas.

Me with my good friends Tish and Coreen, hanging out at an 80's-themed watering hole with beers and good laughs.

10. My friends. I miss my friends back here, most of all. While modern technology allows us to keep in touch via all kinds of social media (Facebook, Flickr, etc.), VOIP (Yahoo, Skype, etc.) and other chat & microblogging services (Google Talk, Plurk, etc.), actual human contact and interaction is still much more favorable.

Precisely the reason why I’ve been meeting up with different groups of friends (and still continue to do so) ever since I got here.

Hanging out with my good buddies: Mich, Abi and Gelo at TGIFriday's in Bonifacio High Street. June 2009.

At any rate, I’m glad to be back in the Phiippines.  Sure, I know I’m going to take off from time to time, but I know I got all these waiting for me whenever I come back home.

For you Filipinos outside the country right now: what do you miss most about home?

Cheers, everyone.